The 1983 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 11th and final season under head coach Frank R. Burns, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 3–8 record while competing as an independent and were outscored by their opponents 258 to 195.[1][2] The team's statistical leaders included Jacque LaPrarie with 1,275 passing yards, Albert Smith with 572 rushing yards, and Andrew Baker with 857 receiving yards.[3]

1.
Cincinnati Bearcats football
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The Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the American Athletic Conference and they have also earned a bowl berth every year, with only two exceptions since the 2006 season. The Bearcat football program is one of the nations oldest, having fielded a team as early as 1885, in 1888, Cincinnati played Miami in the first intercollegiate football game held within the state of Ohio. That began a rivalry which today ranks as the eighth-oldest and 11th-longest running in NCAA Division I college football, robert Burch served as Cincinnatis head coach from 1909-1911, compiling a record of 16–8–2. It was during his tenure that Cincinnati joined the Ohio Athletic Conference, in March 1927, George Babcock was hired as a professor of athletics and physical training at the University of Cincinnati. From 1927 to 1930, he was the football coach of the Bearcats football. Sid Gillman, a member of the College and National Football League hall of fame shrines, was the architect of one of the top eras of Cincinnati football history. He directed the Bearcats to three titles and a pair of bowl game appearances during his six seasons before leaving for the professional ranks. Cincinnati, with Gillman developing the passing offenses which would make him successful in the pro ranks, George Blackburn served as the Bearcats head coach from 1955-1960, compiling a 25–27–6 record. It was during Blackburns tenure, in 1957, that the Bearcats joined the Missouri Valley Conference, chuck Studley left UMass and became the Bearcats 25th head football coach. Under Studleys tutelage, the Bearcats won two championships in 1963 and 1964, However, Studleys teams struggled in his other four seasons. Oklahoma assistant coach Homer Rice was hired as Studleys replacement, after accepting the head coaching position at Cincinnati, Oklahomas coach Jim McKenzie died of a massive heart attack. Upon Jims death, Oklahomas athletic director and president called Homer Rice to request that he return to replace Jim as head coach at Oklahoma and he had already hired his staff at Cincinnati and turned down the Oklahoma job to stay committed to his staff at Cincinnati. Rice compiled an 8–10–1 record in his two seasons at Cincinnati, in 1968, the Bearcats were the nations top passing team. Quarterback Greg Cook was the NCAAs total offense leader with receiver/kicker Jim OBrien the national scoring champ, a year later, Cook earned Rookie of the Year honors as a Cincinnati Bengal. Two years later, OBrien kicked the field goal for the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl. Ray Callahan was promoted assistant coach to head coach after Rices departure. After a 4–6 campaign in his first season, Callahans Bearcats posted back to back 7–4 records in 1970 and 1971, However, a 2–9 season in 1972 ended his tenure at Cincinnati

2.
Rutgers University
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Rutgers was chartered as Queens College on November 10,1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution, for most of its existence, Rutgers was a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church. The college expanded its role in research and instruction in agriculture, engineering and it gained university status in 1924 with the introduction of graduate education and further expansion. However, Rutgers evolved into a public research university after being designated The State University of New Jersey by the New Jersey Legislature in laws enacted in 1945 and 1956. It is one of two colonial colleges that later became public universities. Rutgers has three campuses located throughout New Jersey, the New Brunswick campus in New Brunswick and adjacent Piscataway, the Newark campus, the university has additional facilities elsewhere in New Jersey. Instruction is offered by 9,000 faculty members in 175 academic departments to over 45,000 undergraduate students and more than 20,000 graduate, through several years of effort by the Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen and Rev. The Grammar School, today the private Rutgers Preparatory School, was a part of the community until 1959. New Brunswick was chosen as the location over Hackensack because the New Brunswick Dutch had the support of the Anglican population, despite the religious nature of the early college, the first classes were held at a tavern called the Sign of the Red Lion. When the Revolutionary War broke out and taverns were suspected by the British as being hotbeds of rebel activity, in its early years, due to a lack of funds, Queens College was closed for two extended periods. Early trustees considered merging the college with the College of New Jersey, in Princeton, in 1808, after raising $12,000, the college was temporarily reopened and broke ground on a building of its own, called Old Queens, designed by architect John McComb, Jr. The colleges third president, the Rev. Ira Condict, laid the cornerstone on April 27,1809, shortly after, the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, founded in 1784, relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to New Brunswick, and shared facilities with Queens College. During those formative years, all three institutions fit into Old Queens, in 1830, the Queens College Grammar School moved across the street, and in 1856, the Seminary relocated to a seven-acre tract less than one-half miles away. According to the Board of Trustees, Colonel Rutgers was honored because he epitomized Christian values, the Rutgers Scientific School would expand over the years to grow into the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and divide into the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture. Rutgers created the New Jersey College for Women in 1918, with the development of graduate education, and the continued expansion of the institution, the collection of schools became Rutgers University in 1924. Rutgers College continued as an arts college within the university. Rutgers was designated the State University of New Jersey by acts of the New Jersey Legislature in 1945 and 1956, shortly after, the University of Newark was merged with Rutgers in 1946, as were the College of South Jersey and South Jersey Law School, in 1950. These two institutions became Rutgers University–Newark and Rutgers University–Camden, respectively, on September 10,1970, after much debate, the Board of Governors voted to admit women into Rutgers College

3.
Giants Stadium
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Giants Stadium was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and primarily hosted sporting events and concerts in its history, the maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The structure itself was 756 feet long,592 feet wide and 144 feet high from service level to the top of the bowl and 178 feet high to the top of the south tower. The volume of the stadium was 64,500,000 cubic feet,13,500 tons of structural steel were used in the building process and 29,200 tons of concrete were poured. It was owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, in the early 1970s the New York Giants, who at the time were sharing Yankee Stadium with the New York Yankees baseball team, began looking for a home of their own. The Giants struck a deal with the fledgling New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority in 1971, the 1972 season was the Giants last full season in Yankee Stadium, as the ballpark was closed for a massive reconstruction following the end of the Yankees season. After spending two years in New Haven, the Giants would return to New York for one season in 1975 and shared Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens with the Yankees, New York Mets. The Giants finally moved into their new home on October 10,1976, eight years after Giants Stadium opened, it gained a second major tenant. The Jets lease at Shea Stadium had expired at the end of the 1983 season, the city of New York was unwilling to agree to his terms and Hess decided to move the Jets to the Meadowlands permanently. Their first game in Giants Stadium was on September 6,1984, the sharing of the stadium by both the Giants and Jets enabled it to break a record that had long been held by Chicagos Wrigley Field. Entering the 2003 season, its 28th, Giants Stadium had played host to 364 NFL games, the Giants season opening game with the St. Louis Rams tied the record, and the following week the Jets home opener against the Miami Dolphins broke it. Giants Stadium was closed following the 2009 NFL season following the construction of what is now MetLife Stadium in the parking lot. The stadiums final event was the January 3,2010 game featuring the Jets hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football, a month after the game, demolition of the structure began and was completed on August 10,2010. Giants Stadium opened on October 10,1976, as 76,042 fans witnessed a loss by the Giants to the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants had played their first four games on the road that season. College football made its debut at Giants Stadium on October 23,1976, with Rutgers University defeating Columbia 47–0, the New York Giants played their season-opening home game in the stadium on September 18 of the 1977 season. The 1985 USFL championship game which turned out to be the last USFL game played was held at Giants Stadium. In the second week of the 2005 season, the New Orleans Saints used the stadium for a game against the Giants because of extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. One end zone was painted in Saints colors, Saints banners were hung on the walls around the sidelines, the game was rescheduled to a Monday night with a special start time of 7,30 PM EDT, preceding the other scheduled game on Monday Night Football

4.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
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The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and play their games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss first fielded a team in 1912, coached by Ronald Slay. That team posted a 2-1 record, dille coached the Golden Eagles from 1914–1916, posting a record of 6-10-1. USM did not field a team from 1917–1919 because of World War I. Allison Hubert was the Golden Eagles head football coach for six seasons. His Golden Eagles teams were known to be fast and fierce, Hubert departed after the 1936 season to accept the head football coach position at VMI. After Hubert came Reed Green, who coached USM for a total of nine years, the Golden Eagles did not compete in football from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II. During the coaching tenure of Thad Vann, the Golden Eagles became one of the nations most elite football programs, Vann compiled a 139-59-2 record, had only one losing season in his 20 seasons in Hattiesburg, his last. His 1953 and 1954 Golden Eagles teams upset Alabama and posted records of 9-2 and 6-4, the Golden Eagles made it to the Sun Bowl in 1954. Vanns 1958 and 1962 teams claim a national championship, Vann retired after the 1968 season and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1987. P. W. Underwood returned to his alma mater from his post as an assistant coach at Tennessee, Underwood compiled a 31-32-2 record in his six seasons and engineered one of the biggest wins in school history in 1970, a 30-14 upset of fourth-ranked Mississippi. Bobby Collins was the Golden Eagles head football coach for seven seasons, Collins led the Golden Eagles to two bowl appearances, the Independence Bowl and the Tangerine Bowl after the 1980 and 1981 regular seasons. His 1981 team finished ranked #19 in the final Coaches Poll, under Carmodys tutelage, Carmodys Golden Eagles compiled a record of 37-29. Only one of six seasons did the Golden Eagles finish with a losing record. The Golden Eagles would only have one losing season until 2012. During Carmodys tenure, the Golden Eagles defeated Alabama, 38-29, in Tuscaloosa in 1982 and it was the first time since 1962 that UA had lost there and also proved to be the final loss of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryants career. Carmody recruited a young Kiln, Mississippi high school quarterback named Brett Favre to Southern Miss in 1987. Curley Hallman came to Southern Miss from his post as defensive coach at Texas A&M. Hallmans.676 winning percentage at USM is the highest of any coach in Southern Miss football history

5.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association. The team was formerly a member of the American Athletic Conference, Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference on July 1,2014. Rutgers plays its games at High Point Solutions Stadium, located on the universitys Piscataway. The team is coached by Chris Ash. The Rutgers University football program is considered to be one of the most historic programs in the country, in 1869, Rutgers defeated Princeton University by a score of 6–4 in what is considered to be the first ever intercollegiate football game. For this reason, Rutgers has been described as The Birthplace of College Football. The team currently holds a record of 641–622–42, giving Rutgers the 37th most victories among NCAA FBS programs. On November 6,1869, Rutgers and nearby neighbor Princeton competed in the first ever football game. The site for the contest was a plot of land where the College Avenue currently stands on Rutgers campus in New Brunswick. The structure of the game resembled more of a rugby-style contest instead of football, with players allowed to kick and bat the ball with their fists. At the time, Rutgers was referred to as the Queensmen, the Rutgers squad was captained by William J. Leggett and donned scarlet kerchiefs atop their heads in an effort to distinguish between the two teams. Rutgers would go on to win the contest by a score of 6 goals to 4, a week after the first game was held in New Brunswick, Rutgers would visit Princeton for a second matchup. This time, Princeton prevailed by a score of 8 goals to 0, Rutgers and Princeton had planned for a third game in the 1869 season, but the contest never took place due to fears that the games were interfering with the students studies. Thus, both schools would end the season with a record of 1-1, Rutgers first undefeated season was in 1876. From 1929 to 1975, Rutgers was a member of the Middle Three Conference, J. Wilder Tasker served as the head football coach of the Queensmen football program for seven seasons, from 1931 to 1937. Under his leadership, the Scarlet Knights compiled a record of 31–27–5, Tasker was replaced by Harvey Harman, who led the team from 1938 through the 1940s and into the 1950s. Harmans record at Rutgers stands at 33–26–1 in a total of 14 seasons, succeeding Tasker was John Stiegman, who compiled a record of 22–15 in four seasons. Starting in 1940, the champion received the Little Brass Cannon

6.
Memphis Tigers football
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The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Tigers currently play in the American Athletic Conference as an all-sports member and they play home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mike Norvell is the coach, as he was formally introduced on December 4,2015. Since their inaugural season in 1912, the Memphis Tigers have won over 450 games, the program has also claimed 5 conference championships with the most recent title coming in 2015 as a member of the American Athletic Conference. West Tennessee State Normal School first fielded a team in 1912. The team was coached by Clyde Wilson, in 1922, Lester Barnard was the Tigers head coach. His team compiled a 5–2–2 record, from 1937 to 1938, Allyn McKeen coached the Tigers, compiling a 13–6 record. His 1938 team went undefeated at 10–0, McKeen departed the Tigers after two seasons to accept the head football coach position at Mississippi State and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1991. West Tennessee State Teachers College changed its name to Memphis State College in 1941, the Tigers did not field a football team from 1943–1945 due to the events surrounding World War II. Billy Murphy served as football coach for the Tigers for fourteen seasons. Murphys 1963 team was the schools first undefeated team in twenty-five years, the team finished ranked #14 in the UPI Coaches Poll, the highest final ranking in school history. Murphy retired after the 1971 season, fred Pancoast came to Memphis from his post as offensive coordinator at Georgia. In three seasons, he led the Tigers to a 20–12–1 record, Pancoast left the Tigers after the 1974 season to accept the head football coach position at Vanderbilt. Richard Williamson, previously offensive coordinator at Arkansas, was hired to take over the Tigers after Pancoasts departure, Williamsons teams finished 7–4, 6–5, 4–7, 5–6, and 2–9. Williamson was honored with the Southern Independent Conference Coach of the Year award twice, Rex Dockery was hired away from Texas Tech as the Tigers new head coach after Williamsons firing. He had an 8–24–1 record at Memphis State, starting his tenure with back-to-back 1–10 seasons, Dockery was killed in a plane crash on December 12,1983, in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, en route to an appearance before the Quarterback Club there. Also killed in the crash were Memphis State freshman Charles Greenhill, offensive coordinator Chris Faros, in December 1983, the playing surface at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium was named Rex Dockery Field. After the tragedy, Rey Dempsey was hired away from Southern Illinois as Memphis States new head football coach and his teams struggled to find success on the football field, posting a record of 7–12–3 in two seasons before Dempsey was fired

7.
Temple Owls football
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The Temple Owls football team represents Temple University in the sport of college football. The Temple Owls compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the American Athletic Conference and they play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Owls were a member of the Big East Conference from 1991 until 2004. Temple was expelled from the due to a lack of commitment to the football program from university officials. Temple played the 2005 and 2006 seasons as an independent before playing in the Mid-American Conference from 2007 to 2011, in March 2012, the Owls rejoined the Big East Conference, with football membership beginning in the 2012 season and all other sports beginning conference play in 2013. That same year, the conference was renamed the American Athletic Conference after several basketball-only schools split off to form a new conference that kept the Big East name, Temple is the last original Big East football member still in the The American. Five of the eight members play in the ACC, while the other two teams play in the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Temple began playing organized football in 1894, a decade after the school was founded, physical education instructor and basketball coach Charles M. Williams organized an 11-man squad that won their first game against Philadelphia Dental College. For its first few years, the team played small schools. The Owls modern era began in 1925 and that was the year that Henry J. Heinie Miller was hired as head coach, and for a time, the Owls were a regional power. In the 1927 season, after wildly mismatched victories over Blue Ridge College, Juniata, Gallaudet and Washington College and their only loss that season came from Dartmouth, and a 44-year long rivalry with Bucknell College began with Temple posting a 19–13 victory. To start the 1928 season, the Owls moved to Temple Stadium, Miller coached eight seasons and compiled a 50–15–8 record, with two notable victories over growing regional football power Penn State. Following Millers departure in 1933, the Owls made a splash with the hiring of their next coach. Warner had spent the previous 19 years at Pittsburgh and Stanford and he ended his career at Temple, going 31–18–2 in six seasons. In 1934, the Owls went 7–0–2 in the season and were invited to play in the inaugural Sugar Bowl on New Years Day,1935. In 1936, the Owls were ranked in the AP Poll in its first year for two weeks, in Warners last game, Temple upset Florida 20–12, who were coached by future Temple coach Josh Cody. From the time Warner retired at the end of the 1938 season until 1963, Warners top assistant, Fred H. Swan, took over as head coach in 1939. He lasted one season before Temple hired SMU coach Ray Morrison, during this time, Temple had several successful seasons and had All-American and All-Star players

8.
Louisville Cardinals football
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The Louisville Cardinals Football team represents the University of Louisville in the sport of American football. The Cardinals compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the team is currently coached by Bobby Petrino. The University of Louisville began playing football in 1912 where the Cardinals went 3–1, Louisville had played several years at club level and teams were mostly composed with medical students. Beginning in 1914 the Cardinals joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, due to financial difficulty Louisville did not participate in the 1917–1921 seasons. When the Cardinals did rejoin football they came back into the SIAA which was going through reorganization losing most major state schools, Tom King was the first coach to attempt to build a program at Louisville. King played college football at Notre Dame under Coach Palmer and Knute Rockne, King was an undersized end for the Irish and was known for his athleticism and speed. Before he came to the team for punt returns he was on the track team and basketball team. His experience at Notre Dame gave him ideas on developing a spread wing offense so his undersized players could be better utilized and he often recruited players like him, that had the ability to outrun their opponent. His first standout was Fred Koster, at only 160 pounds he was not big enough to play at Male High School, Koster drew national attention to Louisville in 1926 by racking up 68 points in his first 2 games of the season. In six games, Koster scored 18 touchdowns,10 extra points, Koster was an all-around athlete and was a letterman 16 times,4 times in each baseball, basketball, football, and track. Koster was a forward for the basketball team, leading the team in scoring two years. In baseball, Koster played professionally for 10 years for the Philadelphia Phillies as well as the league teams Louisville Colonels. Tom King had the program going in the direction until he decided to play Detroit for $10,000. Rockne who was coach at Notre Dame, and a fellow graduate called King. When King asked what was in it for Louisville Rockne replied $10,000, King served as head football coach for two more years but he also served as track, baseball, basketball and athletic director during his tenure at Louisville. Louisville athletics took a step back when Dr. Raymond Kent was announced as the new president of Louisville and he was outwardly opposed to collegiate sports. King on the advice of his friend Rockne moved on and in 1933 became assistant coach at Michigan State, Louisville fell quickly back into the Dark Ages of football and posted one winning season until World War II. With the onset of World War II, Louisville, like many college athletic programs around the country, was put on suspension until 1946, during that time Louisville played mostly within KIAC and posted a 73–118–8 record with a.378 winning percentage